I just can’t cotton to the notion of a soul mate.
Plenty of people can, and believe you me, they do. They cling to the thought that in all the world, there is but one, single person they were meant to be with.
That’s fine and good, I suppose. It peddles lots in the ways of books and movies, but for the life of me, I just can’t work the math.
In a world populated by billions of people—some male, some female; some gay, some straight—it would seem to me that there are plenty of possibilities, and more than just one person who, in the words of Cameron Crowe, could “complete” you and me.
But that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?
For all of the scenarios, and for the heady potential behind each one, considerate of the people who might be, who could be, who would be, if only… there is just one who will be the girl I’m going to marry.
I don’t know who you are, or where (or when) it is that I might find you. I suppose that’s a bit of a stumbling block, just now, but on this very night, in cities and towns throughout the world, people are welcoming a new year. Billions are putting on their party hats, and setting out in search of someone to kiss, come midnight.
Truth be told, a kiss as the clock strikes is easy enough to find. But in this New Year, I want more than that, and a whole lot more.
So as I head out this evening, first to dinner and then onto a party, it will be with a thought knocking about inside my head. It is stolen from a song that I simply adore, and it is one that has been playing at points throughout the day.
“When the bells all ring, and the horns all blow, and the couples we know are fondly kissing / Will I be with you, or will I be amongst the missing?”
I don’t know what you are doing this New Year’s Eve. Maybe you’ll be with your friends or family, at a party or a club, or watching the ball drop on TV.
This evening offers plenty in the way of possibilities, but wherever it is that this holiday may find you, I wonder if maybe—just maybe—you will be keeping an eye on finding me.
After all, 2009 could be our year. (And wouldn’t that be something?)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
ALL I WANT
We can talk all we want about the crass commercialism, or of the money-grubbing marketers who fleece the very meaning from a holiday that once was a non-secular affair.
There is shame, shame (shame!) in all of that, I’m sure, and those particular topics are likely worthy of derision. Thing is, I’m just not in the mood to complain. Chalk it up to my sunny disposition. Call me merry, if you must, but these days?
I’m all caught up in a positive approach.
Besides, the holidays offer so much to cherish. There is eggnog, parties, and mistletoe, too! The real disgrace, in my mind, is that Christmas comes but once a year. How else to explain the cultural travesty that insists our favorite Christmas carols be relegated only to the Advent weeks?
It was Thanksgiving Day, as I was walking through the grocery store, when I noticed that the onslaught had begun. The place was playing songs from the likes of Burl Ives, and I simply couldn’t help myself. Four times I turned a corner, only to be caught singing along—red-faced, to be sure, but relatively on key.
I reasoned, if the grocery store had started in, then the Gap could not be far behind, and well… that was all the excuse I needed. That very afternoon, I went home and placed a Christmas mix on my iPhone.
This particular playlist is something I concocted a few holidays ago. After weighing any number of worthy contenders, I hit upon a collection that was something to behold. So I burned it onto discs, wrapped those up in bows, and sent them out to friends and family. Now it’s just my holiday staple.
It may not feature a number from Tchaikovsky, and there’s certainly no Burl Ives. All the same, I think that it may well be the very best Christmas playlist ever.
I love it, and I hope that you do, too.
JINGLE BELL ROCK – BOBBY HELMS
Go ahead and try. Just try listening to those opening chords, and then the faint, persistent tinkling of the holiday bells, and again I say try… but do you not just want to lick something Christmas? There is a quality to this song that is simply Pavlovian.
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR – ANDY WILLIAMS
Is it really Christmas without the voice of Andy Williams? The merriment begins with that man and his honeysuckle tones. Besides, if this song isn’t an example of truth in advertising, then I don’t know what is.
DONDE ESTA SANTA CLAUS – GUSTER
Sure. This may have been a gut reaction to the one phrase of Spanish that everybody knows, but I for one am glad that people can wander into a Chevy’s Tex Mex, or some such place, and wonder aloud where the bathroom is. I mean, let’s face facts. Christmas isn’t just about the Anglo Saxons.
SANTA BABY – EARTHA KITT
Her given name notwithstanding, Madonna tried to cover this number and she failed, failed (failed!). When it comes to Eartha Kitt’s version, no one else compares.
ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE – BRENDA LEE
I think Brenda Lee is kind of sassy, and if I’m being honest? I don’t think she ever sang without a cocktail in her hand. So there’s that.
DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? – BAND AID
How immensely cool was this song?!?
First off, everybody on the track was European, and let me tell you: For a kid growing up in the Midwest, that was pretty darn appealing.
I remember watching the video, over and over again. Paul Young led it off, and he had a mullet. Boy George followed, and that was long, long before I even knew what it meant for someone to be gay. This song had George Michael (again, pre-gay awareness), not to mention something like three-fifths of Duran Duran. The girls of Banana Rama were relegated to being background singers, and as for Bono, half the world hardly knew who he was at the time. To top it all off, I think this is the one that got Bob Geldoff his knighthood.
MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS – RON SEXSMITH
Is it a classic? Perhaps not, but it was featured on one of The O.C. Christmas albums, and in my defense? I really do have a crush on Summer Roberts.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN – TONY BENNETT
In hindsight, it is a bit unfortunate that Tom Jones never covered this song, but I mean, come on… it’s Tony Bennett.
BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – DEAN MARTIN
This is the way they used to do it, and frankly? I still flirt this way.
GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN – BARE NAKED LADIES
Try though I may, I cannot listen to this song without envisioning a jug band. Well, a jug band and Sarah McLachlan.
CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME) – U2
I’d pick this one for the vocal alone. For the record, this is Bono’s second appearance on our countdown. Don’t worry, though. While his voice is doing stratospheric things, he’s keeping his feet on the ground and still reaching for the stars.
THE CHRISTMAS SONG – THE RAVONETTES
A few years ago, I spent a day not long before Christmas wandering around Disneyland. Although I totally and completely love all things Disney, it was a bit of a scarring experience. Had this song been playing in the It’s a Small World ride, not so much.
FELIZ NAVIDAD – JOSE FELICIANO
Spanish speakers are a passionate people, and I’m nothing if not in their corner.
WHITE CHRISTMAS – BING CROSBY
One could have no heart, and still this song would tug at something tender. It is the quintessential Christmas song, and its title, one of two things that I wish for each and every year.
FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK – THE POGUES
You can actually tell what Shane MacGowan is singing, which makes this number a standout track. But between the two of them, who would have thought that Kirsty MacColl would be the first to go?
I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS – THE RONETTES
As a child, I never truly understood the implications of these lyrics. I doubt that you did, either.
LITTLE SAINT NICK – THE BEACH BOYS
It was round about the time when I spent a day at Disneyland, so I know a thing or two about Christmas time in southern California. Honestly, I just don’t know how people do it.
JINGLE BELLS – FRANK SINATRA
Dare I admit, but were I ever to revisit this Christmas mix, then ol’ Blue Eyes might well be replaced with Mr. Burl Ives.
CHIPMUNK SONG – ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS
There really is no choice here. I think you simply have to include it.
LAST CHRISTMAS – WHAM!
I’m not ashamed. This may well be one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. I mean, like, E-VER.
I’D LIKE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS – JULIE LONDON
Because it’s the other thing that I wish for, each and every year.
BLUE CHRISTMAS – ELVIS PRESLEY
Knowing the way I tend to think, I probably keyed in on a connection between a lyric in the last song, “I won’t be blue on Christmas,” and then the title of this one. A cheap trick, to be certain, but there’s something to be said about the ways in which this track picks up the pace with a lighthearted feel, and all before moving onto the next.
Oh, the art of the mix tape. Kids, nowadays… they just don’t understand.
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU – PLAY
I think “Play” might be one of those generic, pre-produced, pop-tart quartets. Me thinks they’re probably English, in the vein of “Take That” or “S Club Seven.”
I’m a bit scared, right about now, that those band names even came to mind.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS – JUDY GARLAND
She sang this one in 1944, at a time when she was young, vibrant and at the height of her powers. To hear it sung today, however, knowing how the story ends, you’d think the very opposite. After all, there was living evident in every note of this performance, and I think the song is more poignant for it.
OH, HOLY NIGHT – NAT KING COLE
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard. Nat King Cole had a lovely voice, but to hear this sung in the original French is to know there is a God.
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – BOB & DOUG MCKENZIE
Because no Christmas is complete without a beer… in a tree.
There is shame, shame (shame!) in all of that, I’m sure, and those particular topics are likely worthy of derision. Thing is, I’m just not in the mood to complain. Chalk it up to my sunny disposition. Call me merry, if you must, but these days?
I’m all caught up in a positive approach.
Besides, the holidays offer so much to cherish. There is eggnog, parties, and mistletoe, too! The real disgrace, in my mind, is that Christmas comes but once a year. How else to explain the cultural travesty that insists our favorite Christmas carols be relegated only to the Advent weeks?
It was Thanksgiving Day, as I was walking through the grocery store, when I noticed that the onslaught had begun. The place was playing songs from the likes of Burl Ives, and I simply couldn’t help myself. Four times I turned a corner, only to be caught singing along—red-faced, to be sure, but relatively on key.
I reasoned, if the grocery store had started in, then the Gap could not be far behind, and well… that was all the excuse I needed. That very afternoon, I went home and placed a Christmas mix on my iPhone.
This particular playlist is something I concocted a few holidays ago. After weighing any number of worthy contenders, I hit upon a collection that was something to behold. So I burned it onto discs, wrapped those up in bows, and sent them out to friends and family. Now it’s just my holiday staple.
It may not feature a number from Tchaikovsky, and there’s certainly no Burl Ives. All the same, I think that it may well be the very best Christmas playlist ever.
I love it, and I hope that you do, too.
JINGLE BELL ROCK – BOBBY HELMS
Go ahead and try. Just try listening to those opening chords, and then the faint, persistent tinkling of the holiday bells, and again I say try… but do you not just want to lick something Christmas? There is a quality to this song that is simply Pavlovian.
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR – ANDY WILLIAMS
Is it really Christmas without the voice of Andy Williams? The merriment begins with that man and his honeysuckle tones. Besides, if this song isn’t an example of truth in advertising, then I don’t know what is.
DONDE ESTA SANTA CLAUS – GUSTER
Sure. This may have been a gut reaction to the one phrase of Spanish that everybody knows, but I for one am glad that people can wander into a Chevy’s Tex Mex, or some such place, and wonder aloud where the bathroom is. I mean, let’s face facts. Christmas isn’t just about the Anglo Saxons.
SANTA BABY – EARTHA KITT
Her given name notwithstanding, Madonna tried to cover this number and she failed, failed (failed!). When it comes to Eartha Kitt’s version, no one else compares.
ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE – BRENDA LEE
I think Brenda Lee is kind of sassy, and if I’m being honest? I don’t think she ever sang without a cocktail in her hand. So there’s that.
DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? – BAND AID
How immensely cool was this song?!?
First off, everybody on the track was European, and let me tell you: For a kid growing up in the Midwest, that was pretty darn appealing.
I remember watching the video, over and over again. Paul Young led it off, and he had a mullet. Boy George followed, and that was long, long before I even knew what it meant for someone to be gay. This song had George Michael (again, pre-gay awareness), not to mention something like three-fifths of Duran Duran. The girls of Banana Rama were relegated to being background singers, and as for Bono, half the world hardly knew who he was at the time. To top it all off, I think this is the one that got Bob Geldoff his knighthood.
MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS – RON SEXSMITH
Is it a classic? Perhaps not, but it was featured on one of The O.C. Christmas albums, and in my defense? I really do have a crush on Summer Roberts.
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN – TONY BENNETT
In hindsight, it is a bit unfortunate that Tom Jones never covered this song, but I mean, come on… it’s Tony Bennett.
BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – DEAN MARTIN
This is the way they used to do it, and frankly? I still flirt this way.
GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN – BARE NAKED LADIES
Try though I may, I cannot listen to this song without envisioning a jug band. Well, a jug band and Sarah McLachlan.
CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME) – U2
I’d pick this one for the vocal alone. For the record, this is Bono’s second appearance on our countdown. Don’t worry, though. While his voice is doing stratospheric things, he’s keeping his feet on the ground and still reaching for the stars.
THE CHRISTMAS SONG – THE RAVONETTES
A few years ago, I spent a day not long before Christmas wandering around Disneyland. Although I totally and completely love all things Disney, it was a bit of a scarring experience. Had this song been playing in the It’s a Small World ride, not so much.
FELIZ NAVIDAD – JOSE FELICIANO
Spanish speakers are a passionate people, and I’m nothing if not in their corner.
WHITE CHRISTMAS – BING CROSBY
One could have no heart, and still this song would tug at something tender. It is the quintessential Christmas song, and its title, one of two things that I wish for each and every year.
FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK – THE POGUES
You can actually tell what Shane MacGowan is singing, which makes this number a standout track. But between the two of them, who would have thought that Kirsty MacColl would be the first to go?
I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS – THE RONETTES
As a child, I never truly understood the implications of these lyrics. I doubt that you did, either.
LITTLE SAINT NICK – THE BEACH BOYS
It was round about the time when I spent a day at Disneyland, so I know a thing or two about Christmas time in southern California. Honestly, I just don’t know how people do it.
JINGLE BELLS – FRANK SINATRA
Dare I admit, but were I ever to revisit this Christmas mix, then ol’ Blue Eyes might well be replaced with Mr. Burl Ives.
CHIPMUNK SONG – ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS
There really is no choice here. I think you simply have to include it.
LAST CHRISTMAS – WHAM!
I’m not ashamed. This may well be one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. I mean, like, E-VER.
I’D LIKE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS – JULIE LONDON
Because it’s the other thing that I wish for, each and every year.
BLUE CHRISTMAS – ELVIS PRESLEY
Knowing the way I tend to think, I probably keyed in on a connection between a lyric in the last song, “I won’t be blue on Christmas,” and then the title of this one. A cheap trick, to be certain, but there’s something to be said about the ways in which this track picks up the pace with a lighthearted feel, and all before moving onto the next.
Oh, the art of the mix tape. Kids, nowadays… they just don’t understand.
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU – PLAY
I think “Play” might be one of those generic, pre-produced, pop-tart quartets. Me thinks they’re probably English, in the vein of “Take That” or “S Club Seven.”
I’m a bit scared, right about now, that those band names even came to mind.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS – JUDY GARLAND
She sang this one in 1944, at a time when she was young, vibrant and at the height of her powers. To hear it sung today, however, knowing how the story ends, you’d think the very opposite. After all, there was living evident in every note of this performance, and I think the song is more poignant for it.
OH, HOLY NIGHT – NAT KING COLE
Beyond the shadow of a doubt, this is one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard. Nat King Cole had a lovely voice, but to hear this sung in the original French is to know there is a God.
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – BOB & DOUG MCKENZIE
Because no Christmas is complete without a beer… in a tree.
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